Construction of solar panels on the roof of the Franklin Pierce University Fieldhouse. —COURTESY PHOTO Solar panels were installed on the roof of Franklin Pierce’s Fieldhouse in 2021. The 162-kilowatt solar array has helped reduce the university’s energy use at the Rindge campus. —COURTESY PHOTO Franklin Pierce University held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of solar panels on the roof of the Fieldhouse. The project was spearheaded by the university’s Institute for Climate Action on the Rindge campus and is tied to the sustainability goals as outlined in the university’s strategic plan, Pierce@60. —COURTESY PHOTO Franklin Pierce installed a free Level 2 EV charging station on campus for community use. —COURTESY PHOTO For the Ledger-Transcript As we now know, the climate is changing, and humans are the primary cause of that change through greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere. While the effects of climate change are much worse in many other parts of the world, where people are experiencing life-threatening wildfires, droughts and floods, our region is still seeing many local effects. One of the patterns observed in all of New England, not just on the Rindge campus, is increased heavy precipitation events. This was evident through the flooding and complete washout of nearby Ingalls Road in July 2021. There are also warmer days lasting into the fall seasoning, putting extra strain on cooling systems. There has been a decrease in cold days in the wintertime, leading to less snow and fewer days with safe ice on Pearly Pond. This has directly affected the amount of time students can take part in winter recreation events on campus such as tubing on Manor Lawn or skating and playing pond hockey. Franklin Pierce University has responded to this notable change in our climate and campus life through educational […]
Click here to view original web page at www.ledgertranscript.com